Board games in New Rome
by Tacita Navicularis
Summary: It's Reyna's birthday, and Jason buys her a gift. (This story may be a one-shot or a series of one-shots I have yet to decide).


Reyna sat on the sofa in her praetor house, Argentum, and Aurum sat on the floor in front of her, their red eyes glistening in the sunset. Reyna opened the gift from Dakota. She smiled when she saw what it was, as usual he had given her a gift card for a free hot chocolate at the café in New Rome. It had been a long standing joke between them, once on her birthday, he had given her a small wrapped gift and mumbled happy birthday, and she had opened the present to find a coupon for a free hot chocolate, she had laughed and ever since Dakota had got her a gift card, or coupon for her birthday every year.

The smile quickly slipped off her face as she noticed an envelope behind the coupon. She opened the letter and brought out a thick wad of paper she picked up the first page and read it;

_Praetor Reyna_

_Ave. Enclosed in this envelope is my monthly report, oh, and happy birthday hope you like the present,_

_Centurion Dakota._

Reyna sighed and turned to the next page. Page one of a seven page long report. She was halfway through reading the report when the door opened and a blonde head poked around the corner followed by a pair of blue eyes, Aurum, and Argentum barked happily.

"Knock, knock. Can I come in?" Jason asked.

Reyna grunted in answer, Jason pouted and walked in, he lay down on the sofa next to Reyna he put his legs on her lap pushing the letter onto the floor. He smiled as she turned and scowled at him. She shoved his legs off her lap and picked up the papers.

"You do know that we have to _read_ these reports, they are important."

"I prefer giving them to you to read." He replied.

"You could at least help me pick them up."

"I can't birthday girl. I've got my hands full."

"What?" Reyna turned back to Jason. He was standing up with a grin on his face, and a big rectangle in yellow wrapping paper with green balloons on it was in his hands.

"Happy birthday Reyna"

Reyna couldn't stop the smile from coming to her face as Jason passed her the present and sat cross-legged on the floor beside her. She started to open the wrapping.

"Come on open it!" Jason said excitedly. She gave him a look.

"What do you think I'm doing?" She said gesturing to the present.

"Yeah but you're not opening it quickly enough!"

Reyna smirked at him and proceeded to open the gift even slower and received a groan from Jason. She finished opening the present and took a good look at it.

"Monopoly," she read, "Ancient Rome Edition." She looked at Jason. "I didn't even know you could get this edition."

"You can't" he said, and then corrected himself. "Well. You can't if you're just mortal. I got it from a shop in the city." Jason picked up the box and started to open it.

"Errrr…What are you doing?" Reyna asked him as he started to get out the pieces.

"Setting the game up" Jason replied as he put the Augur and Oracle cards on the board, the board game was well designed. The little houses and mansions that were in the normal monopoly were insula's and villa's, and instead of the usual lots there were ones that said; Faesulae, Acrae, Rome, Eryx, Londinium, and Venetiae.

"You can't, we need to finish the reports first"

Jason sighed and turned to Reyna,

"Come on Reyna, it's your birthday relax, have some fun, the reports don't need sending back until next week."

"I like having them done as soon as I get them"

"Come on, leave them until tomorrow"

She crossed her arms, "No, they need to be done now."

He sighed again, and then went quiet for a few minutes as if calculating something. That was when Reyna started to get suspicious, last time he'd had an idea it was to water the fields in the summer. Instead he had managed to lightning bolt the fields and fry the wheat, Ceres must have been mad because it took the whole city a week of prayers _and_ a festival for the crops to grow again. Jason smiled as a thought struck him.

"Fine," he said, "I have a deal for you"

Reyna looked at him curiously,

"What," she said suspiciously. Jason's smile grew; he knew that he'd sparked her curiosity. It was the one thing Reyna couldn't resist was a proposition.

"Well" He began, "If you leave the report until tomorrow, then I will help you tomorrow with the other reports."

Reyna raised an eyebrow,

"You're supposed to help me anyway."

"Ahh, but I don't" Jason pointed out. Reyna thought about it for a bit, and then nodded her head.

"Fine" She agreed. Jason fist pumped the air, but Reyna wasn't done. "But you have to help with every report we ever get."

"Okay, but only if you take your birthday off every year."

"Deal."

They shook hands and Jason proceeded to set out the game, but this time with Reyna helping him. When they had finished setting it up Jason turned to the figurines.

"So who do you want to be?" He asked, "Jupiter, Juno, Pluto, Ceres, Mercury, Mars, Venus, or Vulcan?"

"Mercury"

He passed her the little Mercury figurine. The bronze figure was dressed in a toga, had a winged helmet on its head, and caduceus in his left hand. Jason picked up the little bronze Jupiter. It had a toga on too, but this one had an eagle on one arm, and a lightning bolt in the other hand, and a scowl on its face. They both put their figures on the _vado_ square. Jason passed Reyna the dice with the roman numerals on in.

"Let's hope Fortuna's on your side" He said with a grin, "I'd hate to beat you on your birthday."

Reyna smiledmischievously**.**

"There's no need to worry Jason," she said sweetly, "You won't be able to beat me anyway."

"Is that a challenge I hear?"

"No. Just the truth."

"Oooohhhh. Bring. It. On!"

Two hours later and they were still playing. The sun had gone down and they had put the lamps on, Jason owned half the board and Reyna owned the other half, with the exception of three lots; Rome, Segusio, and Padus. Jason rolled a five and smirked as he passed Reyna's villas once again and landed on an Augur card space. He picked one up and read it.

"Surprise attack! You have defeated and captured the Carthaginian fleet in Hispania. Receive 100 denarii." The card read, Reyna groaned. "Yes!" Jason cheered as he collected 100 from the box. Reyna rolled the dice and received a twelve and landed on Neapolis which three insula's on it.

"That would be mine" Jason hooted, he looked at the card "That will be 450 denarii please. Come on pay up."

"You know." Reyna said as she passed him the money. "I'm convinced that you've cursed this game so only you win."

"Nope," Jason replied cheerfully as he added the money to his pile, "I'm just really good at this." He reached to pick up the dice but Reyna snatched them up. "Hey!" He protested.

"It's not your turn."

"Yes it is you've just been!"

"No, I got a double which means that it's still my turn."

"Oh, okay. Hurry up then!"

Reyna rolled the dice and moved seven places and landed on an Oracle space. She picked up a card and read it to herself. She looked at Jason and there was a pause, then she started laughing.

"What?" Jason said suspiciously. Reyna stopped laughing and passed him the card. On the card it read:

_Oh no! Mount Vesuvius has erupted! Pompeii has been destroyed!_

_Whoever owns Pompeii must relinquish their card and any_

_insula's and villa's that may be on it, and the other green cards._

Jason looked at the card in horror. Pompeii was his strongest point on the board! To give up Pompeii would mean to get rid of all the insula's and villa's that he had worked hard to get. Reyna began to laugh again and Jason scowled at her.

"It isn't funny" He said grumpily.

"Yes it is. Come on pay up" Reyna said echoing his earlier words. Jason mournfully began to remove his insula's and villa's. His face grew even more mournful as he slowly put the Pompeii card back in the box.

A few minutes later Reyna had landed on, and received; Rome, and Segusio. And Jason was again the proud owner of Pompeii. When he had again received Pompeii he had stood up and danced around the room narrowly missing Aurum's tail as the two metal dogs slept by the sofa in a basket. Reyna retrieved the dice from Jason's hands and rolled, she moved six spaces to land on Padus.

"Jason." She said. He carried on dancing round the room with the Pompeii card in his hand. "_Jason!_" She called louder. He turned and sat down on the ground with a grin still on his face. "We've finished the game" Reyna announced. " You need to count your money."

The room was quiet as the both started to count the denarii. Jason still had the Pompeii card in his hand as he counted, he soon finished counting. 1250 denarii, he smiled and looked up at Reyna.

"How much have you got?" He asked her .

"1400 denarii" she replied. His jaw dropped. "What? How did you win? I had way more cards than you."

"How much did you get?" She asked.

"1250," was the mournful reply. The corners of Reyna's mouth twitched as she suppressed a smile. Jason looked to the roof. "How did I lose?" he asked.

"Well, when you lost the Pompeii card you lost loads of villa's and insula's that probably cost a lot." She smiled at him and pointed to the card still grasped in his hand. "You lost because of that Pompeii card in your hand."

Jason looked at the card and dropped it in disgust. Reyna's smile widened.

"Looks like Fortuna was on my side after all." She said happily, then looked at the clock on the wall:

_**1:57am**_

Reyna yawned, she had no idea it was so late. Jason followed her gaze and looked at the time. They both started to put the game away. Reyna put the lid back on the box on put it on a shelf. She turned to Jason.

"Thanks for the game." She said.

"You're welcome birthday girl." Jason smiled, he gave her a hug, opened the door and walked out. "See you tomorrow." He said as he walked back to his house.

"Bright and early" Reyna called after him. "Remember, you promised to help with the reports." She closed the door. Jason groaned, he had to get up early and he'd lost the game. Maybe I should have bought her Cluedo, he thought as he walked off.


End file.
